Exploring Identities: Beyond the Box comes to Ohio University Zanesville

Ohio University Zanesville welcomes Chad Goller-Sojourner, a Seattle-based writer, humorist, solo performer and recipient of a distinguished Washington State Arts Commission Performing Arts Fellowship, to campus on Thursday, February 14.

Through his presentation, “Exploring Identities/ Beyond the Box” he invites participants to challenge and explore their worldview, biases, and cultural socialization surrounding their current understanding of identity formation and development. Participants will leave with a broader and deeper understanding of their and others’ identity stories through the presentation of topics including exploring the relationship between leading and/or perceived identities and secondary and/or non-obvious identities, identity allegiance, and shifting/transforming identities.

Goller-Sojourner’s work has been featured on NPR and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2010 he was appointed to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Diversity Task Force. In 2009, he launched a national college tour of his highly acclaimed solo show, Sitting in Circles with Rich White Girls: Memoirs of a Bulimic Black Boy, which continues to tour.

The performer's additional works include: a Chapbook entitled Born One Thousand Years Too Early: Fat, Dark-Skinned, Gay and Adopted by White Folks and his most recent performance, entitled Riding in Cars with Black People & Other Newly Dangerous Acts: A Memoir in Vanishing Whiteness. His work entitled, “A Fragmentary Journey towards Alignment” received accolades from Maya Angelou and has been described as poignant, chilling and prophetic.

This free event will take place at the Elson Hall Auditorium on Thursday, February 14, at 7 p.m. Although it is scheduled for the second Thursday in February, it is part of the Third Thursday Event Series at Ohio University Zanesville. It is sponsored in part by the OU Multicultural Center, Women’s Center, LGBT Center & Arts for Ohio.